Combination suction cleaner nozzle and brush member



March 15, 1955 L. J. FAITHELL COMBINATION SUCTION CLEANER NOZZLE AND BRUSH MEMBER Filed Dec. 16, 1950 1NVENTOR.

1 Mia-EM w M MArrd/M [Y United States Patent COMBINATION SUCTION CLEANER NOZZLE AND BRUSH MEMBER Lars Johan Faith-Ell, Stockholm, Sweden, assignor to Aktiebolaget Elektrolux, Stockholm, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Application December 16, 1950, Serial No. 201,113

Claims priority, application Switzerland December 22, 1949 Claims. (Cl. 15--365) My invention relates to a combination suction cleaner nozzle and brush member. This application is a continuation-in-part of my application Serial No. 78,513, filed February 26, 1949.

It is an object of my invention to provide an improved suction cleaner nozzle and removable brush member therefor which can be positioned on the nozzle and removed therefrom with a minimum of effort, thereby providing a simple and convenient suction cleaner tool which can be conveniently employed for a variety of surface treating operations. I accomplish this by providing longitudinal ribs in the interior of a nozzle body to subdivide the latter into several passages at the vicinity of an elongated suction inlet opening, such passages essentially being the same in length as the inlet opening, and resiliently attaching a brush member to the nozzle body with the aid of one or more of the ribs.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features of novelty which characterize my invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding of my invention, reference may be had to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of a nozzle and removable brush member associated therewith illustrating an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the nozzle shown in Fig. 1, the brush member being removed to illustrate details more clearly;

3 is a transverse section taken on line 33 of 1g.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. l, the brush member being removed;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the brush member taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary transverse section similar to Fig. 3 illustrating another form of removable brush member embodying the invention.

Referring to the drawing, the nozzle and brush member combination for suction cleaners in Figs. 1 to 4 which I have shown embodying my invention comprises a hollow nozzle body 10 having a reduced annular portion 11 which serves as a connector or outlet socket adapted to be attached to a suction conduit of a vacuum cleaner and through which air is drawn when the nozzle is placed in operation.

The hollow interior of the body 10 provides a passage through which air is drawn toward the annular portion 11 from an elongated suction inlet opening 14 defined by surface engaging lips 15. The body 10 may be formed of any suitable metal or synthetic resinous material, the surface engaging lips 15 being shaped to facilitate movement of the nozzle over a surface being cleaned or otherwise treated.

The hollow body 10 is provided with longitudinally disposed partitions or ribs 16 to subdivide the interior thereof into a plurality of channels or passages 17 extending between the suction inlet opening 14 and connector or outlet socket 11, the ribs or partitions 16 extending longitudinally of the suction inlet opening 14 between the transverse end walls of the body 10. The ribs 16 desirably are formed integrally with the hollow body 10 and may subdivide the interior of the latter into passages position within the nozzle body 10.

17 which may be approximately the same in size. Each partition or rib 16 extends across the entire longitudinal dimension of the inlet opening 14 defined by the surface engaging lips 15, the intermediate portions thereof ad acent the outlet socket 11 being recessed at 18 and 19 to establish communication between the channels or passages 17 so that the subdivided air streams flowmg therethrough will merge before being drawn into the outlet socket 11. As best shown in Fig. 3, it will be seen that the rib 16 nearer to the rear surface engaging 11p 15 is formed with a notched or recessed portion 18 of greater depth than a recessed portion 19 of the rib ad acent to or nearer to the front engaging lip.

When nozzles like those just described and lllustrated are attached to a suction conduit of a vacuum cleaner and moved over a surface to be cleaned, air is drawn into the nozzle at the suction inlet opening 14. The air drawn into the ends of the suction inlet opening 14 flows through the passages or channels 17 in a direction substantially parallel to the ribs or partitions 16 and sweeps over the opposing surfaces thereof.

Since the ribs 16 extend in a direction which is transverse to the normal direction of movement of the nozzle over a surface being cleaned, the ribs are effectively utilized to loosen dust and other foreign matter tending to adhere to the surface. By providing recessed portions 18 and 19 on the ribs 16 at the region immediately in front of the inlet end of the outlet socket, the subdivided air streams passing through the channels or passages can merge before flowing through the outlet socket. In this way an enlarged space is provided at a region intermediate the ends of the nozzle through which threads can readily pass from the suction inlet opening 14 directly to the outlet socket 11, and the likelihood of threads adhering to the ribs 16 is minimized.

In accordance with my invention the ribs or partitions 16 are desirably formed in such a manner that a brush member 20 may be removably secured thereto. The member 20 comprises a thicker central portion 21 having bristles 22 fixed thereto, and a backbone 23 which is essentially flat and formed so that it can be readily slipped into position between the ribs 16, for example, as seen in Fig. 1 and diagrammatically indicated in Fig. 3.

At opposite sides of the backbone 23 the central portion 21 is formed with shoulders 24 which extend lengthwise the full length thereof and limit the extent of inward movement of the backbone within the channel or passage between the ribs 16. Hence, the shoulders 24 essentially constitute the top surface of the central portion 21 and the backbone projects therefrom at a region between the sides of the central portion. In order to provide a snug fitting of the brush member 20 in the nozzle 10 several protuberances or bulges 25 are provided at the juncture of the central portion 21 and backbone 23.

At the region the bulges 25 merge into the surfaces of the backbone 23 the bulges are rounded-or curved, the thickness of the bulges being greatest at the shoulders 24, as best seen in Figs. 1 and 5, respectively. Two bulges 25 are provided at regions near the end of the backbone 23 at one side thereof and a single bulge is provided at a central region of the backbone at the opposite side thereof, thereby providing more or less a three-point gripping of the brush member 20 when it is inserted into In order to hold the brush member 20 in the gripped position just described the top edge of the backbone at a central region thereof is formed with projections or catches 26 at both faces thereof. Irrespective of the manner in which the brush member is inserted into position between the ribs 16, one of the projections or catches 26 overlies the top exposed edge of the rib formed with the recess 19 and adjacent to the front engaging lip 15. When the ribs 16 are formed of a synthetic resinous material, such as that commercially known as Bakelite, the ribs 16 are spaced apart a distance slightly less than the distance between the outer extremities of the projections 26. The resiliency of the ribs 16 allows them to spread apart a sufficient distance as the brush member 20 is being inserted 1nto position and, when one of the projections 26 passes over the top of the rib 16 having the recessed portion 19 it more or less snaps or moves abruptly into its holding position. The thickness of the backbone 23, except at the region of the projections 27, is such that it fits more or less loosely in the nozzle passage 17 so that, when removal of the brush member 20 from the nozzle body 10 is desired, the central portion 21 can be grasped with the fingers of one hand and readily removed from the nozzle body while the latter is being held by the other hand.

In Fig. 1 it will be noted that the top edge of the backbone 23 conforms to the shape of the interior of the nozzle body 10 and desirably is slightly shorter than the inlet opening 14 to facilitate insertion and removal of the brush member 20 into and from the nozzle body 10.

In accord with the invention the brush member may be resiliently held in the nozzle body 10 in a variety of ways. For example, the brush member may be provided with one or more resilient clips or other fastening elements employed which are attached to the ribs for securely holding a brush member in position. Another form of the invention making use of resilient clips is shown in Fig. 6 for a brush member 20a having a central portion 210 to which bristles 2211 are fixed, and a pair of spring clips 27 secured to the central portion 21a by a tubular rivet 28. The spring clips 27 are formed with rounded outer end portions 29, the extreme ends of which overlap and are in sliding relation.

When the brush member 20a is positioned in the middle channel or passage 17 the spring clips 27 move toward one another and, after the rounded outer end portions 29 clear the edges of the ribs 16 at the region of the recessed portions 18 and 19, the spring clips move out wardly and resiliently hold the brush member 20a in position. It will be understood that in both of the embodiments described, the brush members 20 and 20a can be readily positioned in the hollow nozzle body 10 and removed therefrom without the use of tools, thereby facilitating the use of such a brush member when necessary.

In view of the foregoing, it will now be understood that the top edges of the ribs 16, which are at the recessed portions 18 and 19 and removed from the suction inlet opening 14, essentially form ledges and the protuberances 26 in Fig. and rounded portions 29 of the spring clips 27 in Fig. 6 constitute catches which, when moved into the immediate vicinity of the ledges at the top edges of the ribs 16, are automatically locked at such regions on the ribs 16. The catches 26 in Fig. 5 and catches 29 in Fig. 6 overlie and project over the ledges at the top edges of the ribs 16 to physically restrain and hold the brush member 20 in position on the nozzle body 10. Stated another way, the ledges at the top edges of the ribs 16 are operable to restrain uninhibited separating movement of the brush member from the nozzle body and are in the path of movement of the catches 26 of Fig. 5 and rounded clip portions 29 of Fig. 6 when movement is initially imparted to the brush member to separate the latter from the nozzle body.

Further, the ledges at the top edges of the ribs 16 are rendered ineffective to restrain separation of the brush member from the nozzle body and permit such separation when sutficient separating force is applied to such parts. In the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 5 the ribs 16 or internal partitions of the nozzle body are capable of yielding and moving transversely to the direction in which they extend, thus allowing the catches 26 to pass through the gap 17 between adjacent ribs 16 in the act of moving the catches toward and from their brush holding position at the top exposed regions of the ribs 16. In the embodiment of Fig. 6 the rounded spring clip portions 29 are capable of yielding and moving transversely to the direction of the ribs 16 when mounting the brush on the nozzle body and removing the brush therefrom.

While I have shown several embodiments of my improved combination suction cleaner nozzle and brush member, I do not wish to be limited to the particular constructions set forth. For example, the brush member may be positioned in the passage 17 formed between the rib 16 having the recessed portion 18 and the rear Wall or trailing edge of the nozzle body 10 which defines the rear surface engaging lip. In such case the brush member 20 is loosely held in position because the projections 26 are too far removed from the central portion 21. However, even in such position the brush member 20 is held and supported on the nozzle body and may be effectively used for certain surface treating operations. It may be desirable. in certain instances to provide several brush members each having projections 26 located at the proper distance from the central portion 21 so that one brush member can be used in the middle passage 17 and another in the rear passage of the nozzle body 10. Therefore, I intend in the following claims to cover all changes and modifications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of my invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A suction cleaner nozzle comprising a hollow body provided with an elongated suction inlet opening and an outlet socket spaced therefrom through which air is withdrawn, longitudinal rib means in said body at the suction inlet opening to subdivide the latter into several passages, said rib means having surface portions within said hollow body forming ledge means, an elongated brush member including a backbone, holding means for removably holding said brush member in position on said nozzle body at the vicinity of the elongated inlet opening, said last-mentioned means comprising one or more protuberances on said backbone forming catch means which overlie and project over said ledge means of said rib means to physically restrain and hold said brush member when the latter is positioned in said hollow body with said backbone in one of said passages, said backbone at the region which includes said protuberance or protuberances being thicker than the width of the gap in said one passage at the immediate vicinity of the ledge means, and said rib means being movable, when said brush member is separated and withdrawn from said body, to increase the width of the gap in said one passage at the immediate vicinity of said ledge means sufiiciently to render said catch means ineffective to physically restrain and hold said brush member in position on said body.

2. The suction cleaner nozzle structure set forth in claim 1 in which said rib means comprises a partition which defines a longitudinal wall of said one passage and is resilient and will yieldingly move from its normal position in a direction from the opposite longitudinal wall of said one passage, when said brush member is separated and withdrawn from said body, to increase the width of the gap in said one passage at the immediate vicinity of said ledge means to render said catch means ineffective to physically restrain and hold said brush member in position on said body.

3. The suction cleaner nozzle structure set forth in claim 1 in which said rib means includes a parir of ribs or partitions in spaced apart relation which define said one passage, each of said partitions being resilient and capable of flexing from its normal position in a direction from the other partition, when said brush member is separated and withdrawn from said body, to increase the width of the gap in said one passage at the immediate vicinity of said ledge means to render said catch means ineffective to physically restrain and hold said brush member in position on said body.

4. The suction cleaner nozzle structure set forth in claim 1 in which said backbone includes several protuberances, in addition to said protuberance or protuberances forming said catch means adapted to Q VCl'llC and project over said ledge means, which are arranged to bear against at least one wall of said one passage immediately adjacent the elongated inlet opening to provide a snug and stable position for said brush member on said nozzle body when held in position thereon.

5. A suction cleaner nozzle comprising a hollow body provlded with an elongated suction inlet opening and an outlet socket through which air is withdrawn, said body having spaced apart elongated side walls defining the leading and trailing edges of the suction inlet opening and shorter end walls connecting the side walls, partitioning in said body at the vicinity of the suction inlet opening to subdivide the latter into several passages extending lengthwise of said side walls, said partitioning at a region within said body having a ledge, an elongated brush member including a backbone, a catch forming a unitary part of said backbone, said catch overlying and proect ng over the ledge of said partitioning to physically restra n and hold said brush member when the latter is positioned on said hollow body with said backbone in one of the passages therein, said backbone at the re gion which includes said catch being thicker than the width of the gap between the opposing faces of said one passage at the immediate vicinity of said ledge and into which passage said backbone is inserted for saidcatch to oveirlie aid p-ojecct1 over the ledge of said partitiloninlg, References Cited in the file of this patent sai catc an sai e ge constituting means to etac ably hold said brush member on said hollow body, and UNITED STATES PATENTS said partitioning being movable in a direction normal and 850,909 Diserens Apr. 23, 1907 transverse to the elongated direction of said suction in- 5 896,290 Freeman Aug. 18, 1908 let opening to allow said catch to pass through said one 1,145,083 Roedels July 6, 1915 passage in the act of moving said catch toward and from 1,770,749 Engberg July 15, 1930 its brush holding position. 1,782,308 Luckensmeier Nov. 18, 1930 2,280,751 Davis Apr. 21, 1942 10 2,594,189 MacFarland Apr. 22, 1952 

